9 Tips For Younger-Looking Eyes

Your eyes are the windows to, well, your age. In fact, studies have shown that when strangers are asked to judge how old a person is, the eye area is one of the biggest influences. To help your eyes look brighter and more youthful (and like you've actually gotten enough sleep for once), follow these makeup tips, product suggestions, and at-home beauty remedies.

After 40, skin loses elasticity and thins, which can make you look tired and allow blood vessels to show through, heightening discoloration. Concealer lightens dark circles, gives lids the appearance of a lift, and brightens your face. Here are three steps to use this eye makeup to cover correctly.

Step 2 Using a small-headed concealer brush, apply a dab along the lower lashes to the innermost corner of eyes and the hollows of the nose. You can also use your ring finger, which has a naturally light touch and added warmth to tap and gently blend.

Step 3 A dusting of a sheer, loose, yellow-toned powder locks the concealer in place for the day.

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Get "wow" lashes

Before applying mascara, when eyelashes are clean and dry (wet ones post-shower won't hold a curl), position a lash curler at the root of the lashes and give three firm, gentle pumps (holding it steady doesn't create a natural-looking, fluid curl). Release and repeat. For even better curl, heat your curler with your blow-dryer for 15 seconds first. "The warmth holds the bend better," says makeup artist Mally Roncal.

"When brows are thin and light, they make your features disappear, adding years to even the youngest looking face," says Damone Roberts, a celebrity eyebrow artist. If yours are growing sparser (or have just had too much tweezing), use these steps to get back a full, youthful arch.

Step 3 When you're finished, brush the hairs up and out with a spoolie (it's like a clean mascara wand); this blends and softens the powder so it looks more natural and removes any excess powder.

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Camouflage crow's-feet

Nix heavy cover-up, which makes lines more obvious, says Matin Maulawizada of Laura Mercier Cosmetics. Instead, brighten the area with concealer under the outer third of your lower lashes and a creamy highlighter such as Pixi Eye Zone Brightener ($16, amazon.com) just below any lines. (Check out these 5 more ways to look wide awake.)

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Caffeinate your eyes, naturally

Tea bags are a great at-home natural beauty trick to perk up tired-looking, puffy eyes. "The caffeine helps shrink the underlying dark blood vessels and forces out some of the liquid that creates puffiness," explains Ava Shamban, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at UCLA. Soak tea bags in hot water for a minute before plunging them into ice water for a few seconds. Lie down and apply them directly to your eyes for 15 minutes.

In a 2003 study, women who applied an undereye cream containing vitamin K and retinol every night for 12 weeks saw their dark circles improve 33%. Try: NeoStrata Bionic Eye Cream ($34, amazon.com) or Murad Essential-C Eye Cream SPF 15 ($44, amazon.com). Like retinol, vitamin K is sensitive to ultraviolet light and should be used only at night. Bonus: The retinol helps erase crow's-feet. (Keep the supplement cure going with these 7 other beauty-boosting supplements.)

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Soothe puffiness

The brilliant blue cornflower boasts a long history as the go-to remedy for eye troubles, including puffy eyes. Even today, practitioners of herbal medicine treat conjunctivitis with a cornflower eyewash and relieve strain by applying a poultice of petals over the eyes. Studies explain why it's a natural for peeper problems: Besides being antibacterial, the flower heads contain several anti-inflammatory substances, says a Journal of Ethnopharmacology study.

Fear not if you're out of practice making poultices but still want to reduce under-eye puffiness: The blossom is found in a bevy of products. Try Vichy Laboratoires Purete Thermale Eye Make Up Remover for Sensitive Eyes ($34, amazon.com), Klorane Smoothing and Relaxing Patches with Cornflower ($20, amazon.com), and Talika Eye Dream Regenerator Night Mask Eye Contour ($28, amazon.com).

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Apply a finer eyeliner

Lining your eyes provides instant lift, and a waterproof gel liner, like Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Gel Creamliner ($20, amazon.com), ensures that the anti-droopy effect lasts all day—for a fraction of the cost of other gels. Don't worry if you think it's going to be tricky to apply: Gel liner is thicker than liquid liner, so it's easier to control. This creamy version glides on without skipping over fine lines.

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